One Dangerous Gentleman
by Tigerdust
Summary: What if the fate of many was held by one whom they considered crazy? Anything is possible where Jack Harkness is involved, even real clarity.
1. Chapter 1

Creator's Note:

Hi! It's me again. I'm still not RTD, JB, or any of the other people in charge of BBC programming, actors, affiliates, yadda yadda. The only stuff I have worth much is a couple of items my grandpa left me. So go ahead, and sue. And watch me fall over dead laughing.

This story is something I've tried to work out in my own mind first (being as I began writing it in an emotionally frenzied state), but not all things might be exceedingly clear. Please leave a comment if something is not so I may fix it. You should alsoknow this does deal with themes of violence, murder, and even some psychiatric/troubling topics (none of which I wish to be insensitive to-trust me) and so I apologize in advance.

I also love Janto, but there is a minimum of pairing and an almost lack of smut (which is slightly refreshing for me). This is almost a fantasy fic for me as well, so expect some things to happen which only I would think of. But I believe every TW person has a story like this buried somewhere inside of them (where they are inadvertantly put in the midst of the Rift). In this case, Darius speaking is underlined. As other things arise, they will be addressed.

All this being said; I'moff towatch Anthony Bourdain. Please, enjoy mynewest Torchwood story; "One Dangerous Gentleman".

---------On With the Show!--------

"_There's a devil in the pudding pot. There's a devil in the pudding pot."_

John sat, shivering and muttering to himself against the imaginary cold. It was rainy in this part of Wales; always dark and rainy. Long ago, John had amazing shoulder length red hair; the kind where you'd go into the sun and his hair looked as if it had been colored by an orange sharpie. Most of that had been shaved off. John had also been chunky in that time; had quite a bit of meat on his bones. Now, though, he was wasting into a corpse-like state. He was greasy, sweating constantly from the mugginess, dressed in rags soiled with unknown age and dirt. His fingernails, he kept deceptively clean and often admired the little cracked lines in his dried palms. Tonight, he cradled himself and the springs continued to twang as he watched the rain fall through barred windows.

"_There's a devil in the pudding pot. There's a devil in the pudding pot."_

Gwen peered out into the rain; vaguely unsure as to whether on not she actually wanted to make a dash for it. She offered a shrug to Ianto, who sat reading a magazine while at the tourist desk.

"Sorry, I know you want to go home, but sometimes Cardiff can be a bloody drag."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Just try not to think about the rain too hard."

"I can't help it. Tosh? Look out!" Tosh collided as she kept her head down and the rain off of it.

"Sorry Gwen. Did I get you wet?"

"No, no. I'm just standing the doorway for my own health."

"Ooh, I soaked you all the way through your white shirt, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. Mind looking away while I change?" She glanced to Ianto who turned and thought to himself, It's entirely possible that we are **too** comfortable with each other.

Gwen quickly changed into her workout shirt; grey and black, just like the sky. "Too bad I'm not Owen; scenes like these are wasted on me."

"Oy, I'm glad you aren't Owen, Ianto. And that's exactly why."

"So, what did you forget Tosh?"

"Can't get to my car. Streets are flooded out."

"Bloody hell, what did I miss?"

"Hello again, Owen."

"Why are you all changed then Gwen?"

"I was gonna make a dash for my car, but it looks as though none of us are getting out tonight. I'd better call Rhys. You don't mind us staying, do you Ianto?"

Sigh. "Of course not. It's not like I had anything _planned_", he muttered, as the "Hubbies" headed back to their workstations for the night.

"Honey, were we expecting company?" Jack stood nearly naked before them, except for an exceptionally long button-down dress shirt.

"Woah, Jack, sorry to disturb you, but..."

"It seems they are all flooded out on the street Jack. Seems they'll be staying the night."

"I suppose I should get my pants back on then."

"Just a thought, mate, just a thought."

The next morning, Jack thought he awoke to the sound of birds, but really it was Gwen's phone chirping. She answered groggily.

"Hello? Yes, Devon, yes. No, calm down Devon. We'll be right there."

"Who is Devon?" Owen asked groggily from two sprawled-out computer chairs.

"An old co-worker. He seems like a right mess. Seems a body washed up on a bridge over night and he needs some of my expertise on it. Said I always seemed to have the touch."

"Well, flattery does often get men where they need to go. Who's up for a murder mystery?"

Tosh yawned. "Isn't it a little early for murder without coffee?"

"I'm two steps ahead of you, Toshiko."

The morning was grey when they got out finally. Piercing winter wind had kicked up, even though winter had yet to sink its teeth into the world. The screeched to the site in their normal impressive way and Gwen headed off to talk to Devon about the case.

The rest of the team used their "normal" formation and swooped around the canvassed body.

"What do we know about him, Gwen?"

"His name is Derrick Valeria, age 43. Son of a wine magnate; very Posh lifestyle. What he was doing in Cardiff is bloody beyond me. His last known address was his dad's place in Italy."

"Okay, that's a start. Tag and bag the body. Tosh, run the info log and bring all your findings to me. Owen, you've got the autopsy. Ianto; make some tea. I've got a feeling we'll need some after being through all this rain."

The way back to the Hub was silent except for Tosh clicking away at her mobile computer connection and Owen muttering about the bloody disaster area the body was turning into, while he and Ianto tried to soak up as much water as they could.

In the stark bareness of the autopsy room, Jack hovered in the balcony, arms folded and waiting.

"Jack, you might want to come down here."

"What is it, Owen?" Jack appeared at Owen's side and looked into the corpse.

"Well, first is that he is amazingly well-preserved for a man his age who was left out in the rain, but there is one thing missing."

"And what is that?"

"His liver."

"Why would someone take a liver?"

"I don't know, but if you'll look here," Owen showed slides while the rest of the team looked through papers featuring the autopsy results, "you'll see that his liver was taken postmortem."

"He was dead when the liver was taken?"

"Based on the incision, I'd say that's correct."

"Nasty business, this is."

"Tosh, did you get anything on Mr. Valeria?"

"Nothing, Jack. No tax audits; no bad report cards, not a blip. The man led a perfect and sheltered life."

"Well, something must have gone awry. Keep searching." The phone in Jack's office began to ring. Ianto looked at his cellular phone.

"Jack, Martha Jones is on Line One."

"Martha, how are you?" Jack sat back in his office captain's chair, slightly tense but trying to keep his voice reigned in.

"I've been better Jack. I wish this were a social call, but there is something going on that needs your team's expertise."

"A Torchwood case? I'm touched you thought of us, Martha. And thank you for the cap for Ianto. It looks simply darling."

"I'll abstain from comment. I'm faxing over all the information we have Jack. I hope you have better luck than we've had."

"We'll do our best."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Keep me informed on progress though?"

"Will do." Jack and Martha hung up in unison. "Okay, people. Dinner meeting in one hour." They could hear Jack's voice echoing from his office. "I hope you've got tight stomachs cause I think this thing is about to blow wide open."

Owen gave Gwen and Tosh a look, half in concern and half confused.

Papers lay scattered all over the board room table; diagrams, charts, personal photos, everything and Jack began to rub his forehead with his palm, visibly sagging with the weight of the information.

"Okay, we have a total of seven victims, each had a body part removed after death."

"They seem to have no connection other than the fact these body parts were taken."

"There is no common denominator of receiving or donating organs; they reach across different continents, fitness levels, occupations, but the attacks all seem to be at random, death by mugging at knife point."

"It's not mugging."

"Well, that seems to be obvious. The ulterior motive is the body part. But the question is why?"

"Jack, I may have something!" Ianto called from his computer at the Hub. Jack switched over the CCTV footage.

"We're watching Ianto. What do you have?"

"A possible connective case from California. I'm printing the documents now sir."

"What can you tell us?"

"It seems that this man was killed at home, and it seems like it was done at knife-point, his body left to drain in the shower, very courteous for the clean-up team. His adopted son was charged with the murder, but was given a plea of insanity in put in the care of the state."

"What's the connection?"

"It should be obvious, sir."

The paper rose from the boardroom's printing machine and Tosh ripped it off the copier a second before it finished. She scanned quickly and her eyes rose to meet Jack's.

"Well, Tosh, what is it?" Gwen's voice sounded edgy.

"His kneecaps were taken, but then replaced. The coroner thought it odd that a man with replaced kneecaps would have the screws popped out."

"And you think there is a connection Ianto?"

"Well, sir, the thing is," and he walked into the boardroom, "this man's son is now under the care of a psychiatric hospital here in Wales. And his benefactor is working in London."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to pay this son a visit. Tosh, do some background work on the son and then Gwen and I will pay the boy a visit."


	2. Chapter 2

"We're here to see John Tripp ma'am."

"Oh? And who are you?" Rhoda looked up from her paperwork at the front desk, visibly unimpressed. John hadn't had a visitor in months, but the money had continued trickling in and she didn't complain about that. Rhoda was heavy-set, gruff, and British, with a touch of blond at her roots.

"We're social care workers." Jack and Gwen held two identification cards out simultaneously. She barely glanced at them.

"Go ahead then. You might get something out of him today. He seems quite lucid."

"Well thanks," Jack looked down at her name tag, " Rhoda."

"Anytime, anytime." She dismissed them as she waved them through to the main room.

People in white coats with guards roamed the corridors. The place had the look and feeling of the same dingy gray and a general quality of aloof care.

"We're looking for John?" Jack called into the main room.

"I'm Napoleon! I shall conquer!" An older man with fuzzy white hair and a scraggly beard rose from the couch and pointed upward before falling back down to watch Tom and Jerry on the television.

"I wondered when someone would come. Too bad you aren't him. Don't blame him I suppose."

"Are you John?"

He sniffed the air. "Yes, and who are you? My, if I had known such a beautiful specimen were to come, I would have made myself more presentable. Perhaps asked for a cleaner garment."

"I am Captain Jack Harkness and this is my associate, Gwen Cooper."

"Well, Captain and ...friend, you may call me John. Now, I presume you've come about the killings?"

"How did you know?"

"You haven't a clue, even with all your advanced expertise, even with all that Torchwood can offer you?"

Gwen sat across from John while he looked down, staring into the eyes of his half-finished Care Bears puzzle. "How did you know where we were from?"

"I can smell them on you."

"I showered this morning."

"It's not that kind of smell Jack." His eyes flipped upwards from the puzzle. "May I call you Jack?"

"Of course."

"Well, Jack, I am not what you would call a normal person. You can guess this from my surroundings."

"You seem perfectly sane to me."

"Too bad I'm not. I'm not as crazy as they'd like to believe, but I know I'm not normal."

"What can you tell us about these killings?"

"Only that I'm not the one who committed these crimes. And I can't offer you leads, only some conjectures."

"Don't tell them anything." John's eyes flashes a dark orange that made Jack stand up straighter.

"John?"

"I'm sorry. John's no longer with you. I'm his less...approachable side. You may call me Darius. And might I say, John's not wrong about how stunning you are, Captain Jack Harkness. You want information, you'll have to do something for us."

"And what is that?"

"Get us out of here."

"I don't think we could." Jack grabbed Gwen's arm lightly.

"What would you tell us if we did?"

"Motive, plausibles for who he'd strike next."

"So, it's a person."

"Didn't say that, did I? You're Torchwood, not stupid."

"How do you know about us?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes." Gwen leaned in just briefly enough to hear Darius hiss in her ear.

"_Well, so can I_. The price of admission is getting me out here. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for my daily "scene". Must keep the lovely Rhoda on her toes."

"Get out!" John began to bellow as he turned over the table and Jack pulled Gwen out of the way in time. "It's time for the end, the end is coming!" He began to babble nonsense as the guards came and two burly black men shot him with a sedative. Rhoda came in moments later, hair disheveled, to ask Jack and Gwen to leave for the day.

"Please, John said groggily, forgive Darius. He's too shrewd for his own good. We'll try again some other time. I just hope there is time left. You must be close to the end of it or you wouldn't have made the connection. Please come back Jack. I do get...so...lonely."

"Well that was a complete waste of time!" Gwen threw her hands up into the air as they entered the Hub.

"I disagree."

"How'd it go with the crazy?"

"He's not crazy Owen! He's just playing everyone for a fool!"

"Oh, it's not a foolish thing Gwen. He knew about Torchwood. John knows more than he was allowed to tell us."

"How can you be so calm? Another person could die at any moment and the fate of that person rests in someone who's got a split personality?!"

"It's more than that Gwen." Jack went to change coats quickly. "I think we'd best go talk to this benefactor in London before we return to see John. Tosh, this time you come with me."

Tony was sniffing at his pasties lunch when Jack and Tosh found him. It was blustery cold, but Tony still had a Bible open on one side, highlighter in hand, and a pasty in the other. Jack sat down across from him on the cement patio furniture and coughed to get his attention.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness and this is my associate Toshiko. We'd like to talk to you about John."

Tony's back stiffened. "What did he do now? Did he attack someone? Listen, this isn't my problem. I pay them money to make sure..."

"No, no. It's nothing like that."

"Well, than what can I do for you Captain?"

"We believe John holds information and insight into a recent spade of killings. And we think you can help us to get them."

"I can't control who you talk to. He thinks he has someone else with him."

"And you don't?"

Tony sighed and he collected himself before beginning. "John always thought of me as his best friend, so naturally I became the person who took care of him. A long time ago, we met in college and he was my devoted, loyal right hand. I was his best friend, there when demons attacked and to do Bible studies and to keep him in check for certain other things."

"You believe Darius is a demon?"

"Care to offer another explanation?"

Jack picked his words carefully, sensing a lot of hesitancy. "We thought if you came along, just maybe you could coax John out long enough to help us without Darius getting in the way."

"He just wouldn't get himself well. Kept talking about Darius as if he were a real creature. But after everything..." Tony just shook his head, seemingly shrugging in recognition of the problem.

"Can you tell us what you know?"

"John had a very rough life. Physical and verbal assaults. Even his step dad, whom he stayed with after his finances for college fell through. He's been warped by every negative influence you can find. One day, I suppose he just snapped. I so want to believe he didn't kill his step dad, but the man surely deserved it." Jack grimaced; completely understanding John's will to survive.

"You can't tell us everything, can you?"

"Some days I can't even tell myself."

"Come with us to visit him. You never know what can happen."


	3. Chapter 3

There was another murder overnight, so it was with a sense of urgency that Capt. Jack Harkness went to visit John with no word from Tony. What he found when he got there was Tony, again with his Bible and John leaning over to scan a passage.

"You've returned, Jack. Don't tell me, there's been another murder?"

"How did you know?"

"The desperation in your aura, of course, and the fact that they reported it on the news."

"You're allowed to watch the news?" Tony gave him a surprised look.

"It's not a convent, Tony. Yes, but that's not how I found out. Darius felt him growing stronger; that's what I meant by news."

"I wish you would stop talking about Darius like he actually exists." Tony game him the "I wish you wouldn't talk about this now" look.

"I believe he does actually exist, Tony."

"You can't be serious." 

"Boy, looks don't get much more crest-fallen than that." Pointed glee showed in John's face.

"I am completely serious. While it may not be a demon; it's definitely real."

"Oh great, the sensationalist leading the delusional."

"No one forced you to come, Tony."

"He's not handling this very well. You probably talked him into coming to get more information out of me?"

"That's it! I'm done!" Tony snapped just a little.

"Calm yourself, Tony and think of the greater good. Darius might stay away long enough for me to help this gorgeous man with what he needs. I'm assuming case information is in that lovely, thick manila folder, luscious like your hair." He winked at Jack, overtly enough that Jack could tell it was for Tony's benefit. 

"Okay, that's enough of a show for me. I'll see you sometime when you're feeling better. Please reconsider my offer. Jasper and Stefa both miss you and send their love." Tony walked out briskly, trying desperately to hide his own disillusionment.

"He doesn't keep you calm, does he?"

"I like him to feel as though he's accomplishing something. So, what was taken this time?"

"Spinal cord."

"Oh dear. How many is that now?"

"Enough." John breathed in deeply. 

"Darius wants us out of here before we cooperate and I can't do anything without him. But I want to help you."

"You always give up too easily."

"I don't think he'll be able to is all, Darius. He's not my benefactor and no one thinks I'm sane. And I'm sure talking to "myself" doesn't help convince the staff."

"Tony thinks there's been a lot of trauma and that it's not real, John."

"I wish it were. But then again, you are real and you've been through so much Jack. I can see it in your eyes, smell it all over you. It's in your body language and your very soul Neither of us belong here. I want to help you, maybe helping myself at the same time."

"Wimp. So how about it Harkness?"

"Can you guarantee you can help us solve this?"

John grinned. "Liar is the one thing I am not, Jack."

"I'll be back for you. Be ready to go." 

"Trust me, I'm ready."

Rhoda looked up from her magazine, slightly annoyed. "What? You couldn't find him?"

"No ma'am. This is an official Torchwood matter." He flashed his serious face. "I'm going to have a car ready out in front. I want John Tripp in the car in a very short amount of time and you should know he will not be returning."

She gasped, trying to digest the information. "Shall I inform his benefactor?"

"If he doesn't already suspect."

Mere minutes later, a flustered nurse, but still holding the impressive illusion of a business proprietor, set a frail, almost bald twenty-five year old in the back of the Torchwood SUV. John began to flip through the case photos almost immediately as they sped off, briefly looking out of the window.

"Oh dear, this is rather grim. You have left this to the last second."

"Is this John I'm talking to?"

"Yes. And, he sniffed the air, I haven't met everyone at Torchwood, have I?"

"Is that important?"

"Not particularly. Although I am interested in the servant. He seems to have caught your eye."

"How is it you know so much?"

"It's complicated."

"We have time. Enlighten me."

"Darius knows more about it than me, and he's just happy to be out of that drab place. Could have used a few curtains, that's what I thought of it. We at least agreed on something."

"Yeah, curtains are always helpful. I myself had a nice set of dark blue ones when I was away from Torchwood. So, what can you tell me on the case just off-hand?"

"I think dark blue would be a grand color for you, Jack. Well, let's see what's been taken so we can see what's left. Which was the most recent, on top? Your man has a wonderful filing system."

"Call him Ianto. And yes, he does."

"Hmmm...let's work backwards then. Sonja Richart, Czech ballerina, spinal cord abduction. Last week, the wine magnate's son, liver gone. A month and a half before, three Argentinean field workers slain, one breastbone taken."

"I have a question about that one..."

"Ah yes, I see. Two smokers and one non-smoker. Must have been together when they were attacked. He took the best of the three."

"Are you going to tell me who did it?" 

"I'm building up to dramatic suspense. We're close anyways."

"We have enough time. How do you know we're so close? Sense of...?"

"Smell." 

"Right."

"Continuing on." 

"No wait, we're here. Let's finish this in the board room and then we can get you settled." 

"How on earth did you manage that?" The sound of the alarm and the locking door settled in the background.

"Oh, the pterodactyl?" John stood transfixed looking at the ceiling, compartmentalizing the layout of the Hub, so as not to take too much in at once. Oddly enough, he wasn't frightened of the equipment and was still thinking about the Ianto fellow he had met at the "tourist" entrance. Now he understood why Jack smelled the way he did, and why his aura changed a little bit when he saw Ianto.

But for John's money; Toshiko looked like a real winner. She was strong, smart, brilliant, and attractive. The grand emotions clouding what John sensed in her unnerved Darius slightly, John wondered if it was for good or bad. She sat, fixated, asking intelligent questions as John led the team, and Martha via intercom, over the facts of the case that seemed pertinent. He savored these moments, the first time he had been in control and taken even slightly serious, like the days before Darius had been around.

"So, what you are saying is that there are two attacks left. The alien only needs vocal chords and a heart?"

"Yes. As I was trying to put it nicely, the alien in question strives to learn from species, but can only do so by manipulating his genes and becoming one of the species first. It requires the essence of ten materials. In this case, he needs only two more. I affectionately dubbed him "The Gentleman", like from the Buffy episode. Except there's only one and he's not trying to gain humanity, not in the same sense at least."

"What happens with what he "learns" from our species?"

"He'll take the planet, strip it of its most intelligent people and resources, and then leave just as quickly."

"Thank you very much for your input, Mr. Tripp. It's been a delight. Jack, may I speak to you in private?"

"Of course, Martha. Would one of you like to give our guest a tour?" Gwen's eyes widened a little.

"Gwen, trust me, it's safe right now. Do you always radiate such obvious emotion?" Gwen's eyes must have turned farther and faster to John than they ever had to any man. Except for Jack. She was even caught mid-breath.

"Ianto will show you around." Jack scurried off to his office and closed the door to finish Martha's call. Ianto nodded and John walked out with him, looking back and knowing Ianto would probably be back to tidy up the mess of papers he had left all around.

"How did a proper Welshman like you end up in a place like this?"

Ianto sighed wistfully, "It's a long story. But I don't think I'd be happy anywhere else."

"Or with anyone else."

"How could you tell so quickly?"

"Don't worry; you aren't obvious. Just the fact that you are the strong servant. I could tell from him, the captivation, the emotion, the changes in him when he saw you. Very subtle, but I bet you notice it."

"I do indeed. So, here we are at the cells." John was surprised, but didn't jump when he saw Janet.

"So this, this is the weevil?" 

"You've heard of them?"

"Not expressly, but Darius knows them. Bloody race, thick as Sunday televangelists and almost as dangerous."

"What's it like?"

"With Darius? Well, right now it's bloody peaceful. But normally, he'll just pry in when he wants and take over. I take it all with a grain of salt. But this place...how do you stay?" 

"What do you mean?"

"I know you can't feel it, but this hallway." The chills crept up his spine. "Who's died here Ianto?"

"Several people." 

"You'd best put me in this cell." 

"Why? Do you think you are dangerous?"

"Can't take that chance. Besides, it's not like there are windows or a lot of options here."

"Let me clear it with Jack first."

"I'd expect nothing less of you."


	4. Chapter 4

"Why on Earth would you put him in the cells? He's not a dangerous alien."

"Gee Tosh, that's something I would have expected Gwen to say."

"Oh, bugger off Owen!"

"Guys, guys. This was John's choice. He feels that for the safety and the anonymity of the team, he shouldn't be allowed to roam free. Plus, I'll be here to watch out for him and help him when he needs it."

Ianto took a sip of coffee from the side table he was standing at. "Well, now I feel better."

"Has John had any luck on the last two bits this "Gentleman" needs?"

"Someone should go ask him."

"I will."

"Tosh, be careful."

"Owen, he's not a weevil. I'll be fine. Plus, I have some extra soup I wonder if he'd like."

"Don't get too attached to him, he won't be joining the team!"

"Jealousy is so not a good color on you, Owen." If Jack could have died, that look would have done it.

John looked up as the card swiper activated and Janet began to wail. At least this wailing was indiscernible. His previous next-door roommate had thought he was Dionne Warwick. If he heard the lines "_From the moment I wake up_" one more time; he was gonna bloody shoot "Dionne".

"Tosh, what a surprise."

"I brought you some soup. May I come in?" John shrugged as he rushed to stand and accept the soup.

"You don't have to do that. It's not much, just some leftovers."

John sniffed it heartily and smiled. "I was taught to always stand when a lady entered the room. Chicken noodle; my favorite." Tosh looked down and blushed just a little.

John sat and they began to talk. "So, How'd a nice techie like you end up in a place like this?"

"It's a long story." 

"Everyone here seems to have that. How do you manage though? You have an emotional aura."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Yes and no. Yes, because emotions are wonderful, fleeting bits of humanity. And no, because you get attached quite often, don't you? It's easier to get hurt that way. It's like wearing your heart on your sleeve." John walked over and tucked his hand under her chin. "And you do keep your heart there, don't you? It's too bad he too blind to see it." 

Tosh blushed and walked to the back of the cell. "So, what's it like? Living with a "demon" inside of you?"

"Honestly?"

"Please."

"It's worse than abuse, because it never ends. Even with the truce; he's always in my mind. I suppose it does have certain benefits though. I hope that's not too honest for you."

"You don't have to stay here. You're not an animal."

"That's where our opinions differ Tosh. I view myself as an almost animal being."

"That can't be good for your mental health." After a second, they both chuckled a bit. 

"So young to have so much on your shoulders."

"I could say that about you as well."

"I was always mature. But I would expect that you know what that's like. As do you, Jack. Hi!" John looked past Tosh to the cameras and waved, grinning large. " I do know you are watching and I don't blame you either." Jack shrugged and waved back, wondering if John could actually see him.

"Can't you just force him out? Would you even want to at this point?"

"I wish I could. Wish I had an answer because of the never-ending parade of torment he rips through what I used to view as power. Even if I could tell who you were in love with, I wouldn't. But Darius, Darius doesn't care who he hurts or who he kills."

"Do you think you did it?"

"No. And I know Darius didn't. But when your best friend turns away because he finds out certain things that neither can change, than decides to be your "hero", it can be a bit too much, can't it?"

"I suppose so."

"Thank you for the soup, Tosh. I know Ianto would have brought it, but thank you for coming."

"How do you know so much?"

"Memory sense. He has the sense of the servant, but the power of something more. I suspect that's why it's all over Jack as well. Are they?"

"Yes, very much so."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Smart, attractive, and capable. You can't tell me that you haven't..."

"No, and I don't think it's severely appropriate to bring it up."

"No, I guess it wouldn't be, would it? Never seems to be at all. Are you..."

"Am I what?"

"Ever going to get around to asking me about the next two killings?"

"That's the ulterior motive for the soup."

"Dang, I do wish ulterior motives came with meatball subs."

Jack looked from the CCTV footage to Ianto. Ianto sighed inwardly.

"Shall I make that two sir?"

"You're a good man, Ianto Jones."

"I know sir. I know."

"You should know that what you are looking for when it comes to the vocal chords, that you should look for any visiting opera singers. Classical training would be the best, at any rate."

"Why?"

Tosh's intercom beeped. "Tosh, we've got Gwen on it. Ask John if Owen could run some tests?"

"Owen wants to run tests, does he? Tell him that I don't do tests. Especially from jealous doctors."

"That's slightly disconcerting, having you know things before I ask."

Tosh's intercom beeped again. "Tosh, tell him I'm not "jealous"!"

"I'll remember that, Tosh. I'll remember that." 

"So...why?" Tosh began to head for the door and as John answered, it slid shut.

"Because classically trained singers have the best worked vocal chords. Didn't you see the connection?" John's fingers sat in a few of the air holes.

"Oh yes! Obviously, he'd want the best he could get for his parts."

"You are a smart one, Tosh."


	5. Chapter 5

Luck wasn't with the Torchwood team. There was no visiting opera, or even a good show in the West End that season. There wasn't enough time or energy to check each theatrical troupe, but John had one more idea left. He told Tosh to check the message boards of craigslist. It seemed so obvious; so simple. But when Toshiko got there, she saw the perfect opportunity for the "Gentleman" to strike.

Tosh and John watched the CCTV footage from the Hub, but couldn't have understood the scale that Jack, Gwen, Ianto and Owen had to fight through to even talk to a stage manager. The foremost theatrical troupe in the area was holding auditions that weekend for a revival of Carmen. Each actor or actress was classically trained. It was the perfect fielding ground for a killer looking for the perfect set of vocal chords.

Chaos enveloped the team as they roamed backstage. People with microphones attached to their mouths flitted about, ignoring Jack, even with his charming good looks and trademark smile, and maneuvering around the team as though they were a wall. Jack was getting nowhere fast, and so he had to think quickly. Two shots rang out through the air, echoing into the balconies of the nearly-abandoned theater. 

"Thank you! I'm glad I finally have your attention. This is an official Torchwood matter." 

"Are we in danger?" A tiny blond piped up, holding her stage binder to her chest in defense.

"We don't know yet. But there is a madman on the loose, and we're here to protect you. We'll need to have full access to everywhere, but otherwise we'll stay out of your way. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of place and contact one of my team immediately. It could mean the difference between life and death."

The stage crew and several actors stood stunned momentarily, until a static conversation began over one of the microphones and the stage hands began to move. Tosh caught John giving her a "is he always this aggressive?" look. Owen was posted in the balconies. Ianto stayed in the background with the stage crew. One soprano even mistook him for the coffee boy. Gwen and Jack perused various dressing rooms. Someone had to keep Jack in check with people changing all around him.

It was deep into the third hour of auditions when Randall Kerkior came on to the stage. Owen was bored beyond tears; he hadn't liked "La Traviatta" the first time he saw it. Now, if he had to hear some other off-key soprano murder the notes sang by Isolde, he was going to strangle the directors himself. Owen was quite sure that the alien wouldn't be striking here. If he had bothered to look down towards the stage, he would have known better.

Randall was dressed as a sad clown, bits of peppered black and grey hair stood out from under his white clown hat. His simple, yet effective, outfit screamed professional theater. His eyes moved slowly, darting through the empty stage to find his crowd. He began to sing, inhaling deeply, and Owen almost dropped the quarter he was flipping between his fingers.

The man's voice was of a haunting nature. Heads of other actors appeared on both sides of the stage, causing one of the hands to drop the curtain as the amber came clashing behind the heart-broken clown. His head bowed and swayed as an imaginary orchestra coaxed him on. The director went into his bag and grabbed a handkerchief, nodding slightly. 

He reached his first crystal high note with clarity and grabbed his chest with passion. Owen was so captivated that he didn't bother to check in with Jack. Jack stood under the stage, but could barely hear the clown. Gwen grabbed his arm and pointed upwards, gasping, fear registering in her eyes. Jack nodded and they began to make their way back through the maze of dressing rooms. Ianto stood, blockaded behind a wall of actors, momentarily tempted to begin stunning them with his gun. The lights in the house dimmed as the electrician brought up a spotlight to accentuate his cream and black clown costume. 

By the time he had hit the second high note, his presence was the only light in the room. The electrician has turned off the one spotlight and no one was breathing. Owen had reached the doors to the first level and was running toward the stage. Jack and Gwen stood just beyond Randall and Ianto was toying with his stun gun and gritting his teeth. Two curtain tassels began to slither and hiss down the curtain as the clown continued his sad oration. 

The song ended, but the clown did not move. Their was the ominous boom of thunder in the dark and then someone screamed, "Turn on the lights!" ,sounding suspiciously like Ianto. Jack was the first to meet the scene, nearly tripping on two broken parts of the stage. At first, it looked like nothing was wrong.

Silhouettes of red were beginning to cascade down the cream suit. Randall stood there, frozen in his last note, eyes glazed toward the ceiling, hands extended and caught in the golden tassels that has enveloped his arms and twisted around in the struggle. Jack's nostrils flared as he cut the tassels and the ghostly clown slid down the red curtain, leaving a deeper trail of red. His throat was cleanly carved. Gwen had to look away to steel herself. 

Jack called Tosh while Owen and Ianto gently laid Randall in a black bag, making sure to fold his arms close in so his head didn't snap off. Jack sighed deeply.

"Tosh, we couldn't get to him."

"We kind of figured."

"How is John?"

"He's sitting on the couch, and his color is a bit off. He's shaking his head slightly."

"Let me talk to him."

"Jack, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you through this."

"We don't have time for apologies. This is our work. Who's the last victim John? Who's heart is he going to take?"

It was barely a whisper, but Tosh and Jack's eyes both went wide. "_Mine."_

While Owen did the autopsy, Gwen and Tosh began to pace and Jack led John back to his "room" in an effort to allay his own fears.

"You won't try to run will you?"

"I don't want you to get hurt. I should have never..."

"Hey! You're not alone in this." Jack's voice was tinged with worry, with regret for Randall, for John, for all the needless victims. "If he comes, then we are the last of Earth's hope. Don't give up this easily."

"You've been so kind to me Jack."

"I wish we could do more."

John bowed his head, trying to hold in both a smile and tears. "I can't promise I won't try to run."

"Promise you'll let us help you."

"You can only depend on yourself Jack." Jack's fingers gripped some of the holes in the glass.

"No, John. This time, you're wrong." 

"We have to do something to save him!" Jack's fists pounded on the table in a rare showing of unrestrained frustration as the group met in the board room.

"Jack, we have no idea when this alien might attack or what form it even takes! All we know is that it's coming for him and being in the Hub is the safest place for him."

Ianto slid into a chair. "Gwen is right Jack. Yes, I'd love to help John, but where do we even start?"

Jack left the room in a huff and Ianto trailed him back to his office. "Hey! You don't storm out of meetings like that." Ianto waited as the door shut. Jack was faced away from him and shaking slightly. "He's really gotten to you, hasn't he?" 

Jack stopped and turned back to face Ianto, tears streaming down his face. "All he's ever known is pain and burden. He and I are so much alike. I don't know how I would have survived without someone like you, Ianto, without this chance for redemption. But how will John survive?"

"We'll find a way to make it happen sir. We always find a way." Ianto took Jack into a hug and Jack gripped his elbows, crying, unable to think of a way to stop what was happening.

He laid down to sleep with Ianto that night, still thinking about John, tossing and turning inside his own mind. He had left Gwen with her night shift but couldn't bear the thought of not being there. He could only imagine the kind of things going through John's mind. He hurried back to the Hub, leaving Ianto's arm as a testament to place where he had lain. 

"You're crying." John didn't bother looking up.

"I suppose I am."

"You're shivering too. Is it cold in here? You don't have to be in this cell."

"You worry too much Jack." 

"I couldn't sleep knowing you weren't safe."

"He's coming for me. Shouldn't my end comfort you, it does for me, most likely it would for Tony."

"You still love him after everything?"

"It seems so stupid to feel that way sometimes." Jack slid down the glass wall, emotionally exhausted, and he could feel John's back pressing against his. "He can be so stuck, so narrow-minded. But I love him; I'm devoted, stupidly optimistic. Everything Darius is not."

"This isn't all in your head."

"I'm tired of fighting Jack. Just like you. I know you fight those memories of that year. The fact you never talk about them, but I can't redeem you. No one can redeem you but yourself."

"Are you saying that for my benefit or your own?"

"Who knows anymore? Are you going to try and save me Capt. Jack Harkness?"

"To my last breath."

There was a sort of weary smile on his lips. "That might take awhile."

"Come here." Jack stood up and opened the cell. He slid onto the cement seat and patted the other half. "You know you don't have to stay here."

"I almost prefer it. Ianto would be angry with you, wouldn't he? He'd worry when you're not there and he woke up."

"I would hope not, John. But this isn't about him. And he knows, he knows where I am."

John burrowed in to Jack, trying not to cry or to feel anything. Above all, trying not to feel. But it was the way Jack held you that could change a person. The way his smile charmed you that made you say things you could only feel. It wasn't just Captain Jack Harkness, it was everything. John began to cry for the first time in a long time, softer than before but more intense. And Jack, Jack began to sing softly.

_Somebody hold me too much_

_Somebody hurt me too deep_

_Somebody sit in my chair_

_And ruin my sleep and make me aware_

_of Being Alive_

_Being Alive_

_Somebody need me to much_

_Somebody know me to well_

_Somebody pull me up short_

_And put me through hell_

_And show me support_

_For Being Alive_

"How long has it been?" John muttered, in between ragged breaths.

"How long has what been?"

"Since you've had a dream? I can't remember the last time I had a good dream."

"Usually when I'm lying next to Ianto. Do you want to talk about this upstairs?"

"You really don't like me being down here."

"You aren't a criminal. And you aren't crazy. Hey, why are you still crying?" Jack pushed him back gently, rubbing a tear away from his cheek.

"I can't remember the last time someone said that to me. I can't seem to remember..."

"Shh..."

"Oh Jack. I want to be strong. But when it all overwhelms you, eats you up on the inside."

"Not everyone is as strong as you."

"But I'm sitting here, crying into your shirt!"

"Sometimes a weaker person denies their feelings. What's happened to you John? How did this all happen?"

"What did Tony tell you?"

"He wasn't long on specifics. It's your story to tell anyways. Maybe we should talk over coffee, upstairs, in my office." John's face lit up at the thought of coffee.

"You have a radiant smile."


	6. Chapter 6

They sat on edge, drinking coffee most of the next day. The Torchwood team hated this part, biding their time. Tosh even began to snap; there was no information left to feed her. Darius didn't even know what the damn thing looked like or what planet it was from. All they could do was wait and hope the answer came when the time was right.

Gwen brought John a copy of the Count of Monte Cristo, one of his favorite books in college. He smiled another radiant smile, and went back to his cell to settle down into reading, when Ianto came down with coffee.

"You're going to make me too jittery to read, Ianto."

"Well, it's part of my job. Plus, I have to try and keep you away from Jack."

"Weak attempt at humor?"

Ianto sighed. "I'm afraid so."

"I don't blame you for being on edge. But I wouldn't worry about Jack. He loves you very much."

"I wish he'd tell me that more often."

"I wouldn't blame him for being afraid. There's so much you don't...never mind."

"What, John? What is it you saw?"

"Actually, it's what I see...and" John looked down and shook his head a little.

"Just tell him, you weakling."

"Who am I talking to?"

"I don't think we've met. I've had a devil of a time getting through. My name is Darius."

"You're the other one." Ianto gasped slightly, then regained his composure.

"I prefer to be called Darius."

"Yes, then, so what do you want?"

"To tell you the truth."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense."

Darius grinned wickedly, one of John's sharp teeth showing just above his lip. "When Jack first came back, he propositioned Gwen before he asked you out." Ianto's face paled in color. "I'm sure John didn't want to disrupt your happy little family, up there."

Ianto swallowed. "Well, yes, I'm sure some things are better off not being known. If there's anything you or John needs, please don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks sweetie." Darius stood and scratched the back of one leg with another while Ianto left and Darius could hear Janet backing into a corner of her cell.

"We're you ever planning on telling me I was your second choice?" Ianto burst through Jack's office door and interrupted while Jack was forming the first letters of greeting.

"What would ever make you think that?"

"He told me about what you said to Gwen during the Capt. Hart thing. Why couldn't you have told me?"

"It wasn't his story to tell."

"He felt he owed it to me, no matter how much loyalty, or hell, love, he owes you!"

"Ianto, come on, I've always been a flirt!"

"Shouldn't this be different then? Shouldn't this thing between us be different?"

"Why can't you ever call it what it is?"

"Because I don't know what it is, Jack! That's the whole point! Who's next in line, then? Tosh? Owen? Gonna try and snicker Rhys? Who Jack? How many are enough until the end of the world?"

"And what happens when you've gone then, Ianto?" Jack stood and his palms hit his desk as he looked up into Ianto's eyes with sincerity mingled in sadness. "Do you know how many times I've had to fall in love just to feel? How many times there have been heartbreaks so painful that your entire body is rent in two?" 

"Isn't once enough?"

"It can't be. It's addictive, Ianto. Yes, I propositioned Gwen. But that is something that happened. Are you going to let this kid affect you so much, Ianto?"

"Isn't it funny that when it's someone else, you call him John. When it's you he can see, you call him kid." Ianto and Jack both left the office, the latter heading in the direction of the cells.

"Why did you tell him? You had no right."

"Give me your anger. Don't feed Darius more ammo for damage, Jack. Besides, Ianto had a right to know. We both know..."

"You could screw everything up. I give you everything, including my trust, and this is how you repay me?"

"You don't get it. I can see you in the future. I can see the joy and the pain searing both our lives across countless star systems. You and the Doctor. You and Hart. You and Ianto. Even You and I, just different from now. But I see it. This is his last chance Jack. He's dying."

"What?"

"He has four years left."

"Don't tell me..."

"They can't cure it here yet Jack."

"I can't listen."

"But you know, don't you? You had to do scans and files for his entire family history! You know all of this. Why not embrace it?"

"Because then every time I look at him, I will see it. I will see the tumor."

"What tumor?" Ianto's face turned pale, contrasting the door frame more than usual.

"Bloody hell."

Silence can be a deafening thing.


	7. Chapter 7

They spent another night waiting for the monster. Jack and Ianto had forgiven each other and John by then, almost thankful that the truth was out in the open. It was too tidy, this forgiveness, but it was something for the moment. The bridge in the gulf they had been trying to ignore. Jack came down to see him in the morning, Tosh reporting nothing spectacular happening in the night. The wait seemed to even be getting to John.

John sat, staring at the wall of his cell, noting that it was Jack but being inconsiderate, even for himself. Jack coughed and made the first move. "What do you see when you look at that wall?"

"Do you really want to know what I see?" Jack nodded slowly.

"I see a place, a different sort of time. I see a home somewhere. Where the sun never gets too warm and the rain is always cooling, but it never floods. Where the buildings are tall with white columns, but no one is ever denied access. Where there is no war, no demons, no homeless, nothing but good."

"Sounds perfect."

"It is perfect. It's dream-like. There is even a waterfall that flows through the town; white water cascading down into a gentle rainbow." 

"Maybe it was real once."

"No, even Darius laughs at me when we bother to discuss it."

"Darius doesn't know what he's missing."

"Jack, can I be weak for just a moment?"

"That's such a strange thing to ask." 

"Well, you almost always see me like this, like I never lose this fight. But I did. I almost lost it once for good and let him have control. And now, with everything, I do wonder if maybe he'd have a better chance of fighting the Gentleman."

Jack leapt forward, against the glass. "You can't think that."

"He's the stronger of the two. I am the light, he's the dark, but he's stronger physically. Oh Jack, you smell so much like home. And then Ianto. What would Ianto say?" Jack took John into a deep hug.

"Right now, I don't care." Okay, that wasn't completely true. "You are my number one priority."

"You flatter me, Capt. Harkness. You flatter me."

The alarms began to sound and the pair fled to the center of the Hub. All eyes pointed to the source of the alarms, and several forceful booms, many like the two that had proceeded Randall's death. John's breath went shallow and he closed his eyes, clutching an invisible cross necklace he never wore.

Jack grabbed his hand. "_We're here._ Team, get ready! Tosh, we need weapons. We don't know what we're fighting, but I can guarantee you this isn't an ordinary villain!"

The booms stopped. "I hate the quiet." Five minutes passed and the alarms still continued to sound.

"He's in the area." 

"Don't lose your head. Everyone ready." The booms began again and were followed by a screech that sent John screaming to his knees. Tosh fell down to where he was and began to cradle him. 

"Jack, do something!"

In a flash of dust and steel, the Gentleman came through the door. His body was a shade of sickly yellow, his head twice as large. Four thick arms reached down and pulsed in unforgiving rage. His thick green eyes targeted John. 

"Fire!" Bullets bounced in every direction from his skin.

"I'm not afraid Jack. Just kill me."

"I won't let him kill you." John kissed Toshiko.

"No, this is the only way to stop him. Shoot me through the heart, Jack!" One of Ianto's bullets grazed the monster's bicep and split the air between Toshiko and John. Toshiko fell away and John leapt back toward the cells. "Come on, you brute! I'm the one you came for!"

"John! No!" 

"I'm giving you a clear shot Jack! Bloody shoot me and save the Earth!" Jack hesitated and John brought his arm up as a claw sliced his forearm to the bone. Three deep gashes made him fall in brief agony and surprise. 

Jack looked around quickly and whistled for Owen. "Owen, throw me the plasma torch!"

Jack took the torch and covered his eyes while he cut through the elevator leading to the "visitor's entrance". He used the torch to heat the metal and then through the cool part towards the monster while the rest of the team ducked. A crackling singe a few seconds later told Jack he had gotten his target. The monster's screech sent Toshiko to her knees this time.

The monster leapt forward menacingly, aiming for Jack. Owen ran towards John to check his cuts. He gave John a shot of adrenaline and John's eyes flew open, but his voice was angrier than any Owen had heard.

"Not Jack!" Darius flipped forward and looked around. A part of an electrical conduit lay sparking close to the water the "Gentleman" was walking through. Darius let his lip snarl and then he picked up the conduit. He jumped onto the back of the Gentleman and felt claws fly into his shoulders.

"Fine! You want emotion you bloody monster?! I'll give you emotion, all the way back to hell!" Darius shoved the conduit into the eyes of the beast and the power surged through them both. It took the Owen and Gwen to hold Jack and Toshiko back from the water as the electricity and pain surged through the beast and his prey.

"My entire life has been nothing but hell and now we'll finish this!" Darius yelled out into the night and both were engulfed in a sinister orange light, the faint embers of hell. The "Gentleman" would have screamed, but could no longer make a sound. 

The water began to melt around the two and the beast began to sink into somewhere. John began to melt and Torchwood watched helplessly as the scene unfolded. One blinding bit of light later and John's body lay still, face down in a puddle of his own sweat and water. Jack was almost afraid to check whether he was dead or alive.

Toshiko reached him and turned him away from the water. She cradled him and checked for a pulse. 

"It's faint!"

Epilogue

John's hair had returned and thank to a few dinners courtesy of take-out and Toshiko's brief stint with homemade meals, he was a bit healthier looking. Although, he mused as he looked in Jack's mirror, spiking his orange hair, anything is better than looking like a corpse. Two jagged edges ran down the sides of his face, giving him a little more character than he previously had.

They waited for him outside the office, all but Jack. He came first to Gwen.

"Thank you for the book, once again. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading novels. Every time I finish another chapter of some great classic, I'll think of you." Gwen nodded and walked away, brushing a tear from her cheek.

"You keep in touch, mate."

"I'm glad we got over the jealousy thing, Owen." John took Owen into a one-armed hug and they patted each other's backs. 

"Toshiko."

"I, I made you a batch of cookies for the road. Sorry if the undersides are a bit burnt." 

John smiled warmly and took Toshiko's hand. He kissed it and then reached forward and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure they'll be lovely. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Now, don't cry. You've got a good life here, good friends, good chances of getting everything you want and need. I'll be fine."

Toshiko sat on the couch, unsure of her ability to stand.

"And as for you..."

"I promise I'll send the recipe."

"That's a good coffee boy." John took him into a hug. "You're the luckiest bloke on earth, Ianto. You know that, right?"

"I'd say we fair about even," Ianto cracked a weak laugh. "You'll be missed." 

John set his forehead against Ianto's. "Now don't start crying or I will."

"Thank you Ianto. And thank you all." John looked up at the lift and got on. He pressed a button and bowed as he began to rise to the surface. He even saluted Myfanway as she cawed her goodbyes.

Jack waited for him at the surface, signing something on a clipboard for a man riding a chopper.

"You didn't think I'd just let you slink off into the night, now did I?"

"I wouldn't have expected anything less." John smiled a half-smile in Jack's direction before looking down.

"What will you do now? The offer for staying here is..."

"Unnecessary, though appreciated." John raised his hand to stop Jack from offering again, no matter how much he wanted it. "I missed three years of my life Jack, a lifetime that I have to get back. I'll come and check on you, try and keep you out of trouble."

"Hey, you're the one headed for more trouble than me." 

"We'll see, Jack. We'll see." 

Seconds flew by as Jack inhaled deeply.

"If you start crying, I'll start crying, and then how would that look?" They hugged, and John buried his face in Jack's neck, allowing a small string of tears to fall. He could feel Jack's hand on the back of his head. 

When they parted, John stroked part of his new chopper as he mounted.

"You've got good taste John Tripp." John allowed his sunglasses to flip down over his eyes as his other hand let go of Jack.

"I'll never forget you, Jack Harkness." 

"Don't be a stranger."

John started up his chopper and rode with the sunset at his back, headed for his next adventure and Italy. He had always wanted to see Italy.


End file.
